Clamping device for woodworking-machines.



H. J. MITCHELL.

GLAMPING DEVICE FOR WOODWORKING MAGHINES. APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 7, 1911.

1,093,456. Patented Apr. 14, 1914.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

llllll'm IIIIIIITI'I H. J. MITCHELL. OLAMPING DEVICE FOR WOODWORKING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 7, 1911.

Patented Apr. 14, 1914.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

COLUMBIA PLANOCIRAPH (ID-,WASHINGTON. D- C.

HARRISON J. MITCHELL, F BELOIT, WISCONSIN, ASSIGNOR TO THE BERLIN MACHINE WORKS, 013 BELOIT, WISCONSIN, A CORPORATION OF WISCONSIN.

CLAIVIPING DEVICE FOR WOODWORKING-IVIACHINES.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, HARRISON J. MITCH- ELL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Beloit, in the county of Rock and State of Wisconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Clamping Devices for Woodworking-Machines, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to clamping devices, and is particularly adapted for use in connection with wood working machines.

It is often desirable to adjust vertically various parts of wood working machines,

particularly the cutter heads.

It is the object of my invention to provide means for'easily and securely clamping the cutter head frame in whatever vertical position it may be adjusted. I accomplish this result by providing a pair of clamps on opposite sides of the machine, each clamp having a beveled edge which is adapted to engage a correspondingly beveled abutment surface on the main framework of the machine. These clamps are vertically movable with the cutter head frame, and may be moved toward or away from each other by means of a suitably threaded connecting rod. 'W'hen the clamps are moved toward each other in the manner just described, the beveled edges of the clamps are brought'into firm contact with the abutment surfaces on the frame, and the cutter head frame, which is itself attached to the connecting rod, is thus held in its adjusted position.

These and other advantages of my invention will be more readily understood by reference to the accompanying drawings, which show a preferred embodiment of my improvements, and in which Figure 1 is a side elevation of a portion of a. wood working machine showing the cutter head frame and my improved clamping device applied thereto;.Fig. 2 is a plan of the parts shown in Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a perspective of one of the wedge blocks or clamps, and, Fig. 1 is a fragmentary transverse section taken on the line 44: of Fig. 2.

The framework of the machine comprises the side members 5, having the bases 6 and 7. In each side member 5 is a vertical slot Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed September 7, 1911.

Patented Apr. 1d, 191%.

Serial No. 648,099.

8 As most clearly shown in Fig. 2, each side member 5 is provided with a vertical beveled abutment surface 9. The cutter head frame members 10 and 11, together with their connecting members 12 and 13,

are adapted to have vertical movement, the

surfaces 14 and 15 engaging the corresponding surfaces 16 and 17 of the side mem bers 5.

Pivotally attached to the extensions 18 and 19 of the cutter head frame members 10 and 11 are the clamps or wedge blocks 20 and 21, each of which has a beveled edge 22 adapted to engage the abutment surfaces 9 of the side members 5. Extending between the wedge blocks'or clamps20 and 21 1s a connecting rod 23 which has threaded engagement with the clamp 21, the end of this rod extending into the slot 8 of the corresponding side member 5. On its opposite end the connecting rod 23 has the squared portion 24, by means of which the connecting rod may be readily rotated with a wrench or other similar tool. Mounted on the rod 23 is the collar 25 adapted to engage the outer surface of the clamp 20.

Having thus described the various parts which are used in my invention, its operation may now be readily understood: When it is desired to elevate or lower the cutter head frame comprising the members 10, 11, 12 and 13, the connecting rod 23 is rotated in a contra-clockwise direction, whereby the clamps 20 and 21 are allowed to move away from each other on account of the fact that the rod is partially unscrewed from the clamp 21 and the collar 25 is moved out wardly from the outer surface of the clamp 20. In this way the engagement between the beveled ends 22 of the clamps 20 and 21 with the beveled abutment surfaces 9 of the side members 5 is loosened, and the cutter head frame may thus readily be moved vertically to its desired position, carrying with it the clamps 20 and 21 and the connecting rod 23, the ends ofwhich move in the grooves 8 of the side members 5. When the correct position is attained, the connecting rod 2 1 is rotated in a clockwise direction, whereby the clamps 20 and 21 are brought toward each other and the edges 22 firmly engage the beveled abutment surfaces 9, and the surfaces 14 and 15 are brought into closer engagement with the surfaces 16 and 17, respectively. As indicated in Fig. 3, I prefer to construct the wedge blocks or clamps 20 and 21 in such manner that the beveled edges 22 are of considerable length, thereby obtaining abetter frictional engagement with the abutment surfaces 9.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that considerable change could be made in the detailed construction of the various parts which I have described without departing from either the spirit or scope of my invention.

lVhat I claim is:

1. In a wood working machine, the combination of a pair of side members each having a sliding surface and also beveled abutment surface thereon, a carrier member having sliding engagement with the sliding surfaces on said side members, a pair of clamps pivoted to said carrier member and having beveled edges engaging said abutment surfaces, and a connecting rod for simultaneously moving said clamps toward or away from each other, thereby correspondingly increasing Or decreasing the frictional engagement between said carrier member and said side members, substantially as described.

2. In a wood working machine, the combination of a pair of side members having beveled abutment surfaces thereon, a cutter head carrier frame having sliding engagement with said side members, a pair of clamps pivotally mounted upon said carrier frame and having beveled edges engaging said abutment surfaces, and a connecting rod having threaded engagement with one of said clamps and a collar engaging the other of said clamps, whereby on rotation of said connecting rod said clamps may be moved toward or away from each other, thereby correspondingly increasing or decreasing the frictional engagement between 7 said carrier frame and said side members,

substantially as described.

3. In a wood-working machine, the combination of a pair of side-frames, each having a sliding surface thereon and each provided with a clamping surface disposed so that a portion of the side-frame lies between the sliding surface and said clamping surface thereon, a movable frame having surfaces adapted to bear upon said sliding surface, a pair of clamping members each arranged to have a portion thereof bear against said movable frame, and another portion against said clamping surfaces respectively, means for moving said clamping members relative to the side frame respectively, the arrangement being such that said movable frame may be clamped upon said side frames at varying positions thereof, substantially as described.

4. In a wood working machine, the combination of a pair of side members each having a sliding surface and also a beveled abutment surface thereon, a carrier member having sliding engagement with the sliding surface on said side members, a pair of clamps pivoted to said carrier member and having beveled edges engaging said. abutment surfaces, and means for simultaneously moving said clamps to cause the same to ride up and down the beveled abutment sur faces, thereby correspondingly increasing or decreasmg the frlctlonal engagement between said carrier member and said side members, substantially as described.

5. The combination of a fixed and a movable member having co-acting. sliding surfaces, one of said members having a beveled abutment surface inclined slightly to the plane of the sliding surfaces a clamp loosely mounted on one of the members and having a surface in a plane substantially parallel to the abutment surface, and means to move the clamp in a direction parallel to the plane of the sliding surfaces to cause the surface of the clamp to ride up or down the abutment whereby to increase or decrease the friction between the sliding surfaces,-substantially as described. a 7 r 6. The combination of a fixed and a movable member having co-acting sliding surfaces, the fixed member having a beveledabutment surface inclined slightly to the plane of the sliding surfaces, a clamp loosely mounted on themovable member and having a surface in a plane substantially parallel to the ab-utmentsurface, and means to move the clamp in a direction parallel to the plane of the slidingsurfaces to cause the surface of the clamp to ride up or down the abutment whereby to increase or decrease the friction between the sliding surfaces;

substantially as described.

7. The combination of a fixed and a movable member having co-acting sliding surfaces, one of said members having a pair of beveled abutment surfaces inclined slightly to the plane of the sliding surfaces, a pair of clamps loosely mounted on the other member and having surfaces in planes substantially parallel to the respective abutment surfaces, and means to move the clamps in unison in directions parallel to the plane of the sliding surfaces to cause the in planes substantially parallel to the retion between the sliding surfaces, substanspective abutment surfaces, and means to tially as described. move the clamps in unison in opposite directions parallel to the plane of the sliding HARRISON MITCHELL surfaces whereby to cause the surfaces of the Witnesses:

clamps to ride up and down the inclined F. A. HORsTMANN,

abutments to increase or decrease the fric- I. SOLIEN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of .Patents,

, Washington, ".D. G. 

